Chapter 3 Full of blossoms.

NOW: We're so different from our past selves.

"Why are we buying the full stock of those chocolates?" Jinyoung asked a little worried looking the big hand of CNU and the basket his friend was carrying with lots of those little packages.

CNU looked at him for a moment before blinking. His gaze lowered to his hand and after a second he threw the candies on the basket.

'Because she likes them.' His brain answered.

"I'll pay." He shrugged. "I like to have something on my mouth while traveling on train."

"Mmmmm." He couldn't be sure if Jinyoung bought his reason but the black haired said nothing. CNU was thankful.

After paying, the two friends walked carrying the bags to the entrance of the store. They stood a moment looking the amount of people on the terminal. They found their group on one of the big benches.

CNU could see Gongchan shyly talking to HER sister and HER animated friend, and on a side there she was with her eyes locked on the screen of her phone, with her white shorts and her light green blouse. Taeni was distracted.

As they walked towards them CNU noticed the moment she received that phone call, the way her face brightened and the way she smiled talking to whoever she was talking with.

"Oh. You bought a lot!" Gongchan happily said taking a bag from his hands and starting to evaluating it. "I like this!" He smirked showing to Keri and the other girl (CNU really couldn't remember her name) a weird jelly he only took because the violet color.

Jinyoung said something else he didn't got because she was fixing those glasses on her face he didn't know she needed and tried to lift herself up on her tiptoes to look over the crowd. She was still on the phone.

Then Taeni's face had the biggest smile he had seen on her and one of her hands was in the air whilst she started to jump. "Binnie!!" She loudly called catching their friends' attention and the gaze of a man... A boy... A baby boy with broad shoulders and small eyes.

CNU looked the warm way she talked to him.

He frowned. For some reason he couldn't explain he didn't like the fact that man was walking in her direction with a big smile.

.

"What is he doing?" CNU asked looking at Sungyeol who five seconds ago was sitting next to him and now was walking towards a group of freshman girls that were on the grades of the same football field they were.

"He will ask her out." Jinyoung explained and looking the lost gaze of his friend he let out a frustrating growl. "He asked you if he can do it and you just said yes."

CNU frowned and fixed his big glasses. "What? Why was he...?"

"God!" Jinyoung made a dramatic act hitting his own face with his hand. "He will ask HER out... You know. My dongsaeng."

Oh. CNU knew. He lifted up his eyes and catched her staring at him. She blushed. And she looked away. She struggled a little and was probably about to look at him again when Sungyeol reached the girls and took her whole attention. "Oh." He said.

Jinyoung sighed. "You know?" He asked and paused bitting his big mandarin like it was a piece of bread. "You should talk to her sometime." CNU stopped to look the way the little girl with long dark brown hair was getting red for Sungyeol's talk and frowned at his friend. "I can introduce her to you." Jinyoung shrugged.

"I don't want that. Why should I talk to her?" He stupidly asked like he didn't know the girl had a crush on him. It's hard to ignore when she was looking at him like that every day.

"Then she will never talk to you." Jinyoung concluded.

The two boys looked back to the freshman group the moment the loud 'Aaaaah' of those girls reached their ears.

CNU frowned. Did Sungyeol asked for a date to a girl in front of everyone for real?

She was red. She was really red.

And God! She looked at him again.

And when their eyes met the poor girl flushed and looked back to Sungyeol.

She was pouting and frowning at the same time and she was kind of cute, CNU could tell.

She stood up and they saw how she asked Sungyeol to leave. Oh. No. She asked him to follow her.

They walked out the field.

"She will agree." CNU calmly said and those words tasted wrong in his mouth. He didn't care.

"You think?" Jinyoung asked looking away. There he was again. Smiling to a girl of middle school. His other dongsaeng.

"You doubt it." CNU said. His gaze on the spot he last saw her.

"You wanna know what I'm thinking?" His best friend looked at him. "Do you even care?"

"I do." His stupid mouth opened before he could think. "I don't." He frowned. "I don't know. I'm worrying?"

The expression of Jinyoung went soft. "Don't worry. She won't agree. She will be offended."

"Why?" He asked but Jinyoung didn't answered. "Why will she be offended?" Jinyoung didn't answer.

At that moment they looked at Sungyeol walking back.

A big smile on his face.

CNU also catched her walking back to her friends.

Her face was red and she was looking at the ground. She was smiling too.

.

And he hated that smile, but he couldn't tell the reason.

When the black haired man reached to them Taeni sweetly asked him about the traffic, his way there and even if he had eaten.

The new boy said hi to Keri and the other girl with familiarity and a smile that seemed to never fade.

"This is Moonbin." Finally, Taeni introduced him to them. CNU made a little bow and the boy did the same with that hatred smile. "They are Chanshik-ssi." She said gesturing to Gongchan. "Our Jinyoung-oppa." For a moment his heart started to run. He waited for her to introduced him with the cute pet name she used to call him. "And Dongwoo-oppa." No more Pororo-oppa. Mo more Gom-oppa. Somehow that hurt.

"It's a pleasure." The tall boy said and CNU thought even his voice was soft. What was wrong with this man?

"Where's Dongmin-ah?" Keri asked him. Taeni smiled to her sister and then her gaze was on that Moonbin again. CNU's stomach felt sick.

"My dear cousin had a call from his manager on the last minute." The three girls made a sad face none of the older men understood. Moonbin giggled. "He made me bring his stuff, he said he will travel tomorrow."

"Is he really coming?" Taeni talked with a tone that made CNU mad because it was not the same bright tone she used to describe her business associate. This tone was warm but not as warm as the way she uses when she talks about THAT Moonbin.

"He is, noona. You don't need to worry." His little eyes got tinny while he was smiling. "He said Keri-noona promised him they would go shopping so he doesn't want to miss this trip." Keri-noona? As he thought CNU realized Moonbin was really young. He surely left high school last year. He frowned.

"Shopping? Sure, that's more important that being the bride's best friend. I will have to scold him when I see him." Keri laughed and that was all. CNU never could talk to the shy girl so naturally. Everyone changed so much!!!

"If Jieun-eonnie hears what our boy is saying he will be on big troubles." The unnamed tall girl said and threw her arm on the shoulders of the kid. He looked up to Gongchan but the younger didn't react.

He lost what the kid was saying but the next thing he knew was that the guy was supposedly the funniest man on Earth and Taeni was laughing out loud and she was softly hitting that boy on his chest with her cute fists. She was not shy anymore, she was not nervous next to him anymore and she was in love with another man that wasn't him. In love? He was probably his boyfriend or fiancee… He would be an idiot if not, CNU bitterly thought.

He saw her cute smile again and he understood.

Shit. He understood.

He hated that smile now because things were not the same anymore. Will never be the same.

In the past those smiles made of honey, those blushed cheeks and those cute giggles were just for him. Were for Pororo-oppa and he felt so special. He worked hard to see them and he admired them and adored every single one of them. But now…

He was not special anymore.

He will never be special again.

...

The silent between us.

Suji.

That was her name.

Suji was tall, had a beautiful face with long features and a long wavy dark hair. She was always happy. She was beautiful.

And after twelve years from the moment he saw her for the first time, after all that time trying to guess her name, Gongchan never thought she was a hundred times more beautiful than he could imagine back on his school days.

She was perfect.

"Chanie!" Jinyoung's voice called him. He blinked before facing his friend.

They were on the train to Daegu. He was sitting facing CNU and Jinyoung and across the hallway between the rows of seats the girls and the friendly Moonbin were happily talking.

"Hyung?" He answered after an eternity. He looked curiously to CNU who was eating too much chocolates. He was in a bad mode but Gongchan didn't want to talk about the reasons.

"I asked you if you'll going to stay in your parents' house?" The older said.

"Oh." He didn't hear him. "I will. It had been too long since I saw my father, he'll get so mad at me if I don't stay with them." He was sad about it, he would prefer to stay with his friends. "Will Deullie-hyung go to yours?"

"No." Jinyoung said with a weird juice on his hand, his gaze on the table. "He'll stay with our Dongwoo."

And that made CNU snap from his deep thoughts to say something that would probably turn out to be funny but the loud laugh from the girl's table called the trio's attention.

Gongchan couldn't help but laugh along them.

Her laugh made him happy. She was like a vitamin for him. She was like the sun.

She looked at him and their gaze locked up for a second.

.

Gongchan looked away and he felt his cheeks warm. He was surely red.

It was stupid. He knew.

His hyungs didn't make fun of him, but they should.

He was finally on his Junior year of high school and even if he should be worrying about his studies or should be spending time with a cute girlfriend, he was there with his eternal crush on a girl he was incapable of talk to and she was the only one to blame because nobody told him a uniform could look so well on a girl until she entered that afternoon on the illuminated hallway like a piece of art.

Thanks God he was tall, because the among of boys stopping by to look at her wouldn't let him to properly admire that beauty.

She saw him, and for a precious moment he thought she was walking to him but…

"No way you came to visit your old sister to show off your new look!" Taeni passed by his side without even caring she bumped on him. "You look so mature and beautiful!" He agreed. The short girl looked too much happy. "Don't you feel alone without my sister?"

"Of course no, eonnie!" She said and her cheeks got a little red. Maybe because she was ashamed to admit she did miss her friend. Even so Gongchan liked to think that maybe it was because she noticed his gaze on her. "Now I can see you every moment and you'll take care of me, so I won't feel alone." She had a playful smile on her face. "Plus…" That was almost as she singed. "I will walk you home today, my lady..." She made a formal bow like she was a Prince. Gongchan laughed a little but before the girls looked at him he acted like he was seeing the classroom. "Not because that way I'll be with my best friend all the way down."

"I thought I was your best friend!" Taeni giggled. She let her hand to mess up the brown long hair of her. Gongchan was envying her.

"You are… Just… Your little sister is a little more my friend and less my mom compared with you." She defended herself and that was the moment Gongchan realized it was the first time he heard her talk to a friend.

Her voice was beautiful, of course. But the best thing was that for the first time he was capable to know how her personality was and he liked her. Gongchan really liked her so much.

The older girl asked her to wait there whilst she took her things.

He looked at her face. She was smiling and that made him smile.

Her dark eyes found him and her smiled got wide. She bowed to him.

He wanted to know if she knew he was from that class, if she would ask her eonnie for his name, if she even cared. He surely cared.

He stepped close and he was about to say something. He never knew what he wanted to say. Probably something stupid... But he hadn't have time.

Taeni came jumping, took the girl by the arm and said goodbye to him.

He sighed.

She was really beautiful. That would be a good thing to say.

She looked back to him. Her smile still wide.

.

And he smiled back.

"I'll be back in a minute." Jinyoung said leaving the table. He was accompanying Keri to the service wagon.

"Don't let the zombies get you!" CNU said. The others putting his eyes white. Gongchan was sick of Train to Busan jokes.

"Do you guys have some jellies left?" Suddenly Suji was sitting on Jinyoung's place. She was smiling like a sun and was looking at Gongchan making his heart go wild.

He didn't react for a moment lost in her beauty.

CNU kicked him under the table to make him blink and talk. "Mmmmm... Yes. Yes. We have plenty. Here!"

He handed her his own bag as he thought how silly and wonderful was life. He was talking to her.

"Thanks, ippa." She said. And he could feel the butterflies on his stomach. The word oppa never was so cool. "Tell me something..." She rest her cheek on her hand and looked at him. "Can we hang out once we reach Daegu?"

He left the air out of his lungs. "Yes. I would like to play with you all and..."

"No. No all of us." She said with a pout. CNU almost threw up his coffee. "The two of us. I think it's time for the two of us to get a date."

...

The words we spoke were full of sincerity.

"This is not a date." Eunjung repeated as she entered by the copilot door after securing the little Mino in the back seats.

They were in Sandeul's black Nissan and the man was so flustered by admiring the beautiful woman in her mom role.

"I know." He finally said.

"We know." The kid with brown hair and thick eyebrows playfully said. That made his mom laugh.

"I just want to make it clear, baby. Mostly to our radio friend." She laughed and the boy followed her. Their laugh sounded similar. Sandeul felt so warm inside.

She was joking now. That was good.

Thirty minutes ago she was frowning at him. She got really mad because when she stepped outside her building with a pair of jeans and a plain shirt, with her long hair messed up and her baby boy on her arms, she was expecting to see Jieun and her green car ready to make a trip.

Not the man who had been deep in love with her for more than a decade.

When she saw him her stylized eyebrows were almost touching. "What on Earth are you doing here?" And she looked down to Mino fixing him on her arms in a protective gesture. "Where's Jieun-ah?"

"Auntie?" The little boy asked with clear words that made Sandeul smile. He was so beautiful.

He looked up and found her angry gaze. She took her phone from her pocket and mumbled. "I'm going to kill her."

"You don't need to." Sandeul stepped closer and that just caused her stepping back. That hurt. Was she thinking he would hurt her baby? Even so, he understood. "I can explain." He said with both hands high. "Sunwoo called me this morning. Jieun-ssi's father came to Seoul as a surprise, he bought her a dress for the engagement dinner and she didn't want to let him alone so the three will travel together and she said…"

"His father hates me." She completed and her expression was still angry but he couldn't tell if it was still for him.

"The others' train left early and Jieun-ssi said you shouldn't travel alone because you need to take care of the handsome Mino." He said with his eyes fixed on the little boy who was also frowning at him and mother and son looked so similar by the moment. "I won't lie to you. I was so glad when Sunwoo asked me to pick you up."

She was about to smile but God knows what thought crossed her mind and she frowned again. She was really angry.

.

And that was the first time Sandeul saw her so mad.

The short woman (who was taller than the short himself) was really mad looking how both of her friends were crying.

Taeni angrily walked in from of the stair case over and over. The red light of the evening was drowning the hallway. "So after insulting Suji that bitch slapped you?!"

Sandeul didn't know what to do. The moment was very private but when he saw Eunjung-noona in the school he couldn't help but followed her.

"No." Keri who was sitting between Suji and Jieun was patting the back of the first. "After calling... That... To Suji-eonnie in front of everyone Jieun-eonnie came and confront her."

"Then she slapped me and we were about taking her eyes off but our teacher stopped us." Jieun said looking at her reflection on a little mirror. Her face was turning dark red. "Well I was about to destroy her, Suji-yah started to cry before I stepped in." She said. Her words were rude but her voice was shaking. She was still crying.

"Who is she? Surim? I'll go to talk to her right now!!" Taeni said turning to face them.

"You won't." Eunjung calmly said. "You'll take Jieun-ah to the pharmacy and you'll take care of her face. And you girls are going with them."

"Eonnie!" Taeni complained. "That girl has been doing this to Suji for long time."

"I know. You told me." She did. Eunjung received a call from Taeni last week. That girl cried because Suji wasn't happy. "I'll make her to stop this. So by now you four go to the pharmacy and wait for me."

They discussed a little more but at the end the younger girls left.

"Deullie." The sweet voice of Eunjung called him.

"Are you ok, noona?" He asked. His eyes locked on the little fist of her that was trembling.

Her expression softened. "You know that girl? Surim?"

He nodded. "You're talking with her, aren't you?" He sighed.

"Yeah. I can't help." She looked down at her hands. "I don't get mad so easy. Not even with someone who bothers me... But God! I get so pissed off when anyone makes the girls sad. I hate it so much. That's not rational. You wouldn't understand... It's not rational."

But Sandeul understood. He did. Because she loved her friends and didn't want them to get hurt.

He didn't want Eunjung-noona to get hurt either.

He sighed. She was beautiful even if she was mad.

.

"What?" She was frowning at him. "Why are you sighing?" She asked.

Sandeul looked away. To the highway in front of them. "For nothing." He answered after a moment.

She hummed. Then she turned to look at the back seat.

He couldn't turn like that whilst driving. But he heard the soft breath of the little boy. He was sleeping. Sandeul wanted to see him like that.

He looked up to the mirror but he could see nothing.

"Allergies?" Sandeul asked after some time.

"What?" Eunjung looked at him like he went crazy.

"Mino-yah. Does he have allergies?" He insisted. He was slowly driving. He wanted to prove he could safely drive. "I want to invite you two a good lunch but I don't know what does he likes and more important if there's something he cannot eat..." He let his eyes on her for a second. "Is he allergic to something?"

The car was silent.

"Peanuts and walnuts." Eunjung finally said. "I had a horrible memory for it." She bite her lip and Sandeul thought he should have been by her side on that moment. He would said it but she continued. "He loves Hawaiian pizza. He loves fruits."

Both were smiling.

"Hawaiian it is."

Sandeul never felt so completed before.